Arts

The Blue Ridge Music Center, Across the Blue Ridge, Behind the Scenes with Mary Dalton and More

Today on the show we take to the road, but not just any road. This is one of the most scenic driving destinations in the entire world, plus it's right in our own backyard. Yep, we're talking about the Blue Ridge Parkway, mile post 213 to be exact. But once there you'll find even more than fresh air and stunning mountain vistas. You see the hills are alive with sounds of Appalachian music too, and they'll be ringing in the air all summer long at the Blue Ridge Music Center. Program Director Richard Emmett is here to tell us all about it, and he'll be joined by NPR's own Paul Brown. That's right. Paul's Across the Blue Ridge is back, and he'll be bringing it LIVE to the Blue Ridge Music Center stage. Then film scholar Mary Dalton takes us behind the scenes with her take on three films with religious themes. They've been generating some praise and some scorn, but they're pulling in the big bucks either way. And Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance shares the story of one mother's struggles with bipolar disorder, their impact on her family, and the sometimes unseemly underbelly of suburban life. It's the Pulitzer Prize winning rock musical Next to Normal.